He is emphasizing “local values” and “real life experience” as qualities the nation’s founders expected in members of Congress, press materials from Clemens’ campaign office said.

“They wanted representatives who would uphold the ideals of the people who elected them,” Clemens said. “The people expected their leaders to serve with focus and commitment. Today we have too many professional politicians who are more interested in playing politics than they are in addressing the challenges that face our country.”

That has led to cuts in education, millions of citizens without health care, high unemployment, failing infrastructure and a sluggish economy, he said.

“Wall Street is still receiving record bonuses while average families can’t make ends meet,” Clemens said. “Veterans have to fight for benefit they’ve earned by their service and politicians play games with our seniors’ Medicare and Social Security benefits.”

He seeks to represent Utahns as a non-professional politician, as someone who “understands the realities of raising a family on a budget and caring for aging parents; people who have created jobs and want to help other small businesses do the same.”

“Congress is broken and Utah’s First District Representative is part of the problem,” Clemens said. “We deserve better. We must demand a representative who cares about doing the right thing, even when it’s hard,” he said.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and graduated from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and completed his residency at the University of Missouri Kansas City, Truman Medical Center.

He spent 14 years practicing medicine among low-income rural areas in North Carolina and Ohio. He now practices medicine at the Ogden Regional Medical Center. He specializes in family medicine, with a focus on treating diabetes-related illnesses and threatened limbs.

Clemens and his wife Tammy have six children and have six grandchildren.